


The Last Ride Home

by pharmtechgirl71



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Cabbies are creepy, F/M, Loneliness, Regret, Successful Daryl - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-21 00:17:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9522380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pharmtechgirl71/pseuds/pharmtechgirl71
Summary: "There's an urban legend that's been circulating for years about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night you step into this cab."





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story sprung from the above quote posted by KrissyG927 about a million years ago; she probably doesn't even remember it, but it's been in my head ever since. I finally got around to writing this yesterday and couldn't stop until it was finished. Now I am sending it into the cold, cruel world. Please be kind; we're all fragile in here.

The Last Ride Home

 

Daryl never read the newspaper, he never watched the tv news reports, or received weather alerts on his phone. He didn't care what was going on around him; he hadn't cared about much in the last ten years. Tonight, he was commiserating in a beer bottle. What slim hope he had that he would have a chance to love her again had been taken away, permanently.

He never would have known that she was back in town, or that she was getting married; he didn't read newspapers after all, much less the engagement section, but his brother did, and felt the need to bring it to his attention.

He had thrown the newspaper in Merle's face and stomped out of the apartment the two shared. Climbing in his piece of shit truck, he didn't have a clue as to where he was going, but knew it would be somewhere he could be drunk and miserable, and wallow in it without anyone bothering him.

He ended up on the seedy side of downtown, a place he was familiar with in times like these. There was a bar on the corner of First and Broadway that he had been to a couple of times; no one knew him there, and he was more than okay with that.

The place was full of old drunk men and bar skanks; some of them looking like they were older than the bar itself. He took a stool on the far side and ordered whatever was cheap. He could tell the bartender was dying to delve into his head, but nipped that in the bud with a growl.

Serena Baker had been the love of his life; still was, if he was being honest with himself. She had been his first, and he hers, back when they were fifteen years old. He never understood what she saw in him, but he never questioned it; who was he to call her a liar when she said she loved him. 

He loved her just as much, and they had stayed together the three remaining years they were in high school. Her parents wanted better for her, but treated Daryl well when they saw how good he was to her. 

Their senior year was more exciting for Serena than it was for Daryl. She was applying to colleges all over the south, while he was working at Mr. Horvath's garage three days a week and weekends hoping that she stayed close to home.

When she received the acceptance letter from the University of Tennessee, she was ecstatic. She had decided to be a nurse, and they had one of the best programs in the south. He had been so happy for her; his heart had broken in a million pieces, but seeing her happy and smiling had given him the strength to push it down. 

Daryl had no college prospects; his only post high school dream was to keep his job at the garage and maybe move out of his father's house. The night they graduated from high school, Daryl took Serena to a party at Abraham Ford's house. Almost the entire class of Senoia High School showed up, which was good, because it kept Daryl's mind off the fact that he only had two months left with her. He wanted to make it as special as he could, hoping that it would make her miss him when she was gone and come back to him when she could.

The night before she left for Tennessee, he took her to the lake. There was a spot they considered "theirs"; it was where they had lost their virginity together, and often returned when they wanted to take their time and explore each other. 

Daryl was desperate to make it an unforgettable night for them both. They declared their love for each other, over and over; they touched each other and moved together as experienced lovers. When they were sated, and breathing heavily, Daryl held Serena in his arms as tightly as he could. 

"You know all I want is for you to be happy," he said to her as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I do know, and I want you to be happy too, Daryl. I know you don't like that I'm going so far away, but I'll see you at Christmas, and then we can spend all next summer together."

"You're gonna meet someone else; I know you will. Won't be able to help it. I just want you to know that I'll always love you, for the rest of my life, and I don't expect you to stay faithful to me being that far away. Just promise me that you won't forget me, or how much I love you."

Serena sat up sharply. "Don't you fucking talk like that, Daryl Dixon. I love you; I'm in love with you, and I will never find another man who is as good to me as you are. I don't want any other man. Daryl, just wait for me. I'll never love anyone else the way I love you."

"I think it'll be best for both of us if we make a clean brake of it." His voice began to tremble; he promised her a long time ago that he would never let her go, but this would be best for her. She didn't need to be held back by a stupid redneck with no future; she needed someone who could give her a nice life, and that would never be him.

Serena began to cry, then she became angry. She pushed herself out of his arms and gathered her clothes; cursing him like he had never heard before. He took her abuse because he deserved it. He broke her heart, and all the promises he had made for the last three years. Daryl didn't respond to the verbal assault; there was nothing to say, and he wasn't going to take back what he said. She needed to move on and forget about him and how worthless he was. If he had to hurt her to make her see it, then so be it.

**************************************************************************************************************************************

Daryl sat at the bar for an hour, drank three beers, and eventually moved on to jack and coke. The bartender tried to get him to eat something, but he refused until the old man took it upon himself to make a plate of nachos, and sat them in front of his melancholy patron. As Daryl reluctantly nibbled on the food, he saw a newspaper sitting on the far side of the bar. Feeling as if he hadn't been tortured enough, he stumbled over and picked it up.

When he sat back down, he opened it up to the wedding announcements. He found hers right away. He had only looked at the picture when Merle gave it to him, and now he was going tear his heart open by reading it

Her fiancé was a doctor from New Orleans; that's where they had met each other. The wedding was at the First Baptist Church in two weeks. Daryl couldn't stop looking at the picture; she was even more beautiful now than she had been ten years ago, and Daryl thought about how impossible that seemed. Her hair was longer now, and she was thinner than she had been in high school, but was still the most stunning woman he had ever laid his eyes on.

Putting the paper away, he ordered one last drink. He needed to go home and sleep it off; try to forget that he was the one who had let her go, and sent her into the arms of another man.

Daryl was smart enough to know that he shouldn't drive home, and asked the bartender to call him a cab. He stumbled outside to wait and lit a cigarette to waste time. When the cab pulled up, Daryl didn't recognize it as a cab; he stood there, finishing his cigarette leisurely until the man behind the wheel yelled at him through the window.

"Are you the asshat Jim called about?"

Daryl almost protested the term, but realized sadly that, yes, he was an asshat. "This don't look like no cab." He said, and threw his smoke into the street.

"Just get in Mr. Dixon; I'll take you where you need to be."

Daryl got in and relaxed in the backseat. "How do you know my name?"

The cabbie pulled out onto the dark street and locked the doors. "Jim told me. I'm the guy he always calls when he needs someone picked up."

Daryl didn't remember telling the bartender his name; he didn't remember saying much of anything, but everything was a blur now. He started to tell the driver where he lived, but was interrupted. "Don't worry, sir. I know exactly where to take you. I'll get you home."

It should have taken only fifteen minutes to get to the apartment, but after twenty, they were still on the road. "I think you passed my house." He said, getting worried that he was riding with a serial killer.

"It should just be another ten minutes or so, then you can sleep it off and wake up brand new."

Daryl was confused, but also very shitfaced. He figured he had been mistaken and sat back to calm his nerves.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into a gated community. The cab driver punched in a code, as if he lived there himself, and drove up to a big, beautiful house.

"I don't know who Jim told you I am, but this ain't me. I'll get arrested being out here," Daryl said.

"You must have drunk more than you think," the driver replied. "Isn't that your name on the mailbox?"

Daryl looked out the window and, sure enough, "The Dixon's" were written there in Victorian script. Daryl shook his head. "You got the wrong damn Dixon."

"This is your stop, sir. I have another faire to pick up, so it's time for you to get out. I'm sure you have people waiting for you."

Yeah, Daryl thought, people who are gonna have him put in jail for trespassing. He opened the door and stepped out. "How much do I owe you?" He asked the cabbie.

"No charge, Mr. Dixon. It was an honor to have you in my cab. I'm happy to bring you home where you belong." With that, the cab drove off before Daryl could respond. He looked up at the house; the lights were on in a couple of the rooms and he could see people walking around through the closed curtains. 

He tentatively walked up to the door; he would just explain that the cabbie was drunk and dropped him off at the wrong place and could he use their phone to call his brother to pick him up. Glancing to the driveway, he saw a black, Mercedes S-class Maybach. Whoever lived here was probably the richest motherfucker in town. He hoped he would be able to escape before the guard dogs were released and tore him to shreds. 

A shaking finger hovered over the doorbell; his heart was in his throat and he was quickly sobering up. Before he could convince himself to turn around and walk away, his finger darted out and pushed the button. He heard footsteps approaching and turned to make his escape, but the door opened before he could make it down the stairs.

"Daryl?" He stopped cold when he heard a soft, feminine voice call his name. "Where have you been, sweetheart? I've been worried about you." Before he could turn around, he heard high heels clanking on the stone step behind him. A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn sharply, and he gasped when he looked into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he'd ever known.

"Serena?" Daryl was stunned, and immediately knew that he had passed out in a gutter somewhere and was dreaming.

"Yes, baby. It's me." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Have you been drinking?" She took a step back and got a good look at him. "What are you wearing? I haven't seen you in jeans since college. Did something happen? Are you alright?" Her voice became frantic, but Daryl wasn't paying attention to that. 

"Are you real?" He asked, his eyes never leaving her face. "Am I dreaming?"

Serena looked at him with deep worry in her eyes. "Are you alright, Daryl? Talk to me; what happened?" He didn't respond, only looked at her with a soft smile on his lips. She yelled for someone inside to come help her, and before he knew it, he was being helped into the house, laid on a plush sofa, and propped up by fluffy pillows.

A glass of water was shoved in his face and he took it without a word, chugging it until he felt sick. "I'll call Dr. Anderson; maybe we should take him to the hospital.

"Relax, Sarah," he heard a man's voice say. "He probably just met Merle after work for drinks and got a little carried away. Those two usually do when they get together."

"Daddy, could you help me get him upstairs? I'll get him in the shower and then to bed."

"I'll put on a pot of coffee," her mother said, and rushed off into the kitchen.

David Baker pulled his future son-in-law from the couch, wrapped his arm around Daryl's waist and slung the man's arm around his shoulder. Serena followed them up the stairs and into the bedroom. After laying Daryl on the bed, David turned to his daughter. "I'm sure it's nothing, honey. I know he's not having cold feet; he's wanted to marry you since you two were fifteen years old."

"I don't think it's that, daddy. Something happened though; the way he looked at me, it was almost like he didn't know who I was. He asked me if he was dreaming." She looked down at her fiancée, his eyes closed and his chest rising with every breath.

"Just take care of him. He'll tell you all about it when he feels better. It's probably nothing. Being a CEO is a lot of responsibility and he's still new on the job. I'm guessing he just had a stressful day." He kissed her forehead gently. "You better get used to it; being the wife of the CEO of the fastest growing tech company in the south is gonna be stressful for both of you."

Sarah then walked in with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. "I'll just sit this here," she said and placed the cup on a coaster on the dresser. "We're going to go home now, sweetheart. Call me tomorrow and let us know how he's feeling and if there's anything you need."

"I will, mom. Thank you for all the help. I think I can take care of him from here." 

Once her parents left the room, Serena sat on the edge of the bed, next to Daryl. She laid her hand on his chest and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Come on baby. I'm gonna get you in the shower and put you to bed. I don't know what happened, but I'll make it better."

Daryl stirred and open his eyes. "Come with me," he said. "If this is a dream, I don't want to waste it."

He slowly sat up and let her lead him to the ensuite bathroom. It was almost as big as his bedroom at the apartment. She turned the water on, and when the temperature met her approval, she turned and began to undress him. 

His body shook when he felt her delicate hands on his skin. She pulled the tee shirt over his head and ran her fingers down his chest to his belt. He caressed her cheek, and she smiled up at him playfully as she pulled the belt through the loops and sent his pants and underwear down his legs and to the floor.

Daryl unzipped her dress in the back and let it fall off her body. She was wearing only a pair of pink silk panties underneath, and he groaned when he saw her naked body for the first time in ten years. "Come on, let's get in before it gets cold," she said and led him under the spray.

He knew he still had to be drunk off his ass, but he had never felt so alert and present as he did when he held Serena in his arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by her lips on his. "You don't have to tell me anything right now. I just want to take care of you and make you feel better. That's what wives are supposed to do, right?"

Daryl put his hands on her breasts and sighed. How many times had he dreamed and fantasized about her in the last ten years? How many times had he broken his own heart dwelling on the only thing he had ever wanted in his miserable life? This didn't feel like a dream though; this felt real. He could feel the texture of her skin under his hands, and hear her voice clearly in his ear.

"I love you Serena; I've never stopped loving you." Daryl buried his head in her neck and breathed her in. She still wore the same perfume, and it intoxicated him as it always had. He took her hips and pulled her close; his erection rubbing against her stomach. "I want you, please. I gotta have you."

"I'm right here, Daryl. I'm always here when you need me; you know that. I love you more right now than I did thirteen years ago, if that's possible."

He kissed her then, and every memory came flooding back to him. The first night in their apartment off campus, the day they graduated from college together, the day he was named CEO, and the night he asked her to be his wife.

"Oh God," he exclaimed. Overwhelmed by the realization that what he knew as the last ten years of his life was a horrible dream, he pushed her against the tile wall and lifted her up by the back of her thighs.

She gasped as he ravaged her mouth, neck, and chest with his lips. Sliding into her felt so familiar; it felt like home. He lost control and fucked into her like an animal; nipping and licking at her skin. Her moans spurred him on and his orgasm was building quickly. Moving his hand down her body, he touched her clit and rubbed gently in time with his pounding. 

"Oh God, Daryl!" Serena cried. "You fuck me so good, baby. Don't hold back; I want to feel you cum inside me."

His motions increased in speed, but his fluidity faltered. He felt her walls seize around him when she came, and when he heard her scream his name, he lost all his willpower and filled her with his release. 

Serena's legs were shaking, so Daryl held her in his arms until she calmed. They quickly washed each other and turned off the cooling water. Stepping back into the bedroom, Daryl noticed a newspaper clipping on the dresser, next to a cup of coffee. Picking it up, he smiled. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. David Baker announce the engagement of their daughter, Serena, to Mr. Daryl Dixon, CEO of Grimes Technologies.  
The wedding will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2017 at the First Baptist Church in downtown Senoia.  
The couple will reside in Buckhead.

 

"What are you doing?" Serena asked as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. 

"Just reminding myself that I'm the luckiest son of a bitch alive," he replied and turned in her arms. Kissing her lips sweetly, he ran his hands over her still damp body.

"Well, maybe you can get even more lucky later," she said and smiled brightly.

As they climbed into bed, Serena asked him a question. "What happened tonight, Daryl? Did something happen at work, or with your brother?"

Daryl spooned up behind her and kissed her shoulder. "To be completely honest, I don't know what the hell happened. Merle called me today and asked if I could meet him at the bar after I left the office. I don't remember why or what happened once we got there. I drank way too much and must've blacked out or hallucinated, but it's not important anymore. I know what's real and what's not. You, me, and this wedding are the only things that are important to me. I've loved you since the first time I saw you, Serena, and I'm never letting you go again."


End file.
